search interfaces for older adults 12Jul05

Screenshot: firstmonday.org

A paper about search interfaces for older adults by Anne Aula and Mika Käki:

"We have previously found the elderly users to face several usability problems with the current search engines. Thus, we designed an elderly–friendly search interface, Etsin. To evaluate the success of the design, a usability study was conducted for comparing the usability of Etsin and Google. The participants faced fewer usability problems when using Etsin than Google and they valued the clarity of the Etsin interface. In conclusion, elderly users benefit from a simplified search engine interface that is easy to understand and that takes into account age–related issues."
(...)
"To conclude, the main lessons learned from this study were the following:

• Older users benefit from simple interfaces which lessen problems caused by not understanding what is happening, decrease the number of features to be learned, and most importantly, make the users feel in control of the situation.


• The features included in simplified designs need to be considered carefully so that important functionalities are not excluded. In the present case, language selection needs to be included in the interface.


• In order to make the interface use language and functionality that is understandable, it is essential to consult members of the target user group.


• Visual icons are effective in showing the type of the underlying document; they make this information readily available to novice users, as well."

Internetverweis

Paper: "Less is more in Web search interfaces for older adults